Today's Liberal News

Phyllis Bennis on Progressive Dems Retracting Letter Urging Diplomacy to End Ukraine War

A group of progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives this week sent, then retracted, a public letter urging the Biden Administration to engage in direct diplomacy with Russia to end the war in Ukraine while continuing to arm and support the government in Kyiv. The letter was signed by 30 lawmakers from the Congressional Progressive Caucus and saw an immediate and fierce backlash, as critics said it undermined Ukraine’s position and downplayed Russian atrocities.

‘Absolutely f***ing not’: Attorneys, advisers reportedly against Trump testifying on live television

Ever since the House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously to subpoena the main man behind the mayhem, Donald J. Trump, on Oct. 13, the media has been playing an endless game of “will he or won’t he” appear.

After all, handing Donald Trump a subpoena, as the committee did on Friday, is like giving a dude on a three-day meth bender a Russian roulette revolver—except with six bullets in the cylinder instead of one.

Michigan jury finds three more militiamen involved in Whitmer kidnap plot guilty on state charges

When a jury earlier this year acquitted two of the 14 men charged in the bizarre plot by a group of far-right militiamen to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, there was immediate concern that we might be seeing a repeat of the disastrous failed prosecutions of other right-wing extremists. However, the subsequent convictions in August of the two ringleaders in the retrial of the same federal case alleviated some of those fears.

Ukraine update: Russia wants the people who beat them last time to fight the people beating them now

In 1978, the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan took over that country in what was called the Saur Revolution and immediately imposed a harsh crackdown on opponents and established one-party rule. The government they overthrew had taken power in 1973 in a coup and … immediately launched a harsh crackdown on opponents and established one-party rule.

The real question is: Can Oz overcome his ick factor?

Coming out of Tuesday night’s Pennsylvania Senate debate, many news outlets have focused on whether Keystone State voters will vote for a man who is still recovering from a stroke.

Democratic Senate nominee, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, clearly displayed the after effects of the stroke he suffered in May. Fetterman’s speech was halting at times, and he generally kept his answers short and to the point.

Pennsylvania Voters Have No Good Options

No one knows quite how the stroke that Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman suffered in May might affect his performance as a U.S. senator if he wins an election next month. But his halting, sometimes painful performance last night in the sole debate in his race against Republican Mehmet Oz last night showed that he’s not outwardly the candidate who won the Democratic nomination earlier this year.The answers here are simply unavailable.

Britain’s New Leader Faces a Tough Winter

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.This week, Rishi Sunak was officially installed as the prime minister of Great Britain. I spoke with Atlantic writer Helen Lewis about the U.K.’s topsy-turvy political moment and her essay on Sunak as the face of Britain’s “new ruling class.

The Importance of Dissent in Wartime

This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.Question of the WeekWhile covering Donald Trump, multiple journalistic outlets published articles questioning his mental fitness.

A Plan to Cool Off the Hottest Neighborhoods

“Grandma, is the air on?” Kisha Skipper was worried. She’s the vice president of the Yonkers NAACP and a member of the Climate Safe Yonkers Task Force, a group that’s planning projects to make the city safer in a hotter world. And she could see her 95-year-old grandmother sweating on the video call.Skipper’s grandmother is reluctant to turn on her air-conditioning even on the hottest days, because running the unit costs money and she’s on a fixed income.

Not an Air War, A Ground War: Dems Should Redirect Election Funds to Organizing if Black Votes Matter

As Republican-led states clamp down on voting rights, we look at how Black voters are helping to organize unprecedented voter turnout ahead of midterms. “We are literally fighting for democracy,” says LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, who says organizing voters is “the winning strategy” despite the resolve of the “consulting class” to invest campaign funds primarily in TV ads.

Will Racist Ads on Immigration & Crime Help GOP Regain Control of Congress?

As the midterms draw closer, we speak with journalist Will Bunch about how extremist Republican candidates increasingly look like they could win. In Pennsylvania, the Republican gubernatorial candidate is Doug Mastriano who attended the January 6th “Stop the Steal” rally and helped arrange buses for pro-Trump protesters to come as well. He later worked with former President Trump’s legal team to overturn the 2020 election results.

“Fascism Has No Place Here”: Penn State Students Maced While Protesting Violent Proud Boys Event

Hundreds of Penn State students protesting a speaking event with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on Monday night were showered with pepper spray by men who appeared to be with the hate group. Penn State, which abruptly called off the talk on Monday, had resisted earlier calls from students, faculty and community members to cancel the event, citing free-speech rights. We speak with one of those students, Sam Ajah, president of the Penn State College Democrats club.

Fetterman & Oz Spar on Abortion, Student Debt & Economy in Closely Watched Senate Debate In Penn.

The candidates for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania met Tuesday for their first and only debate in a race being closely watched across the country as a possible bellwether for the midterm elections. Trump-backed Republican nominee and TV personality Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, sparred with Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman about crime, inflation, abortion and more.